<p class="title">Jeffrey Archer says his first love would always be writing but if reborn, he would want to be a bar-room singer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After writing, the celebrated British writer's preference has been cricket and politics. He closely follows cricket and was rooting for Somerset to win the County Championships for the first time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Having been an MP and now a member of the House of Lords for over 27 years, Archer is also passionate about following what's going on in politics, though he is no longer directly involved.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer, 79, has just come out with the first book of an eight-part series involving his new character William Warwick.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He regrets that he doesn’t have a good singing voice. But if he gets a chance to born again, he says, he would want to be a bar-room singer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I’ve always loved old style crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and would love to have had a good singing voice - but I don’t,” Archer told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another thing he loves to do is visit India and meet his fans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Indian cuisine, he says, “I am not a lover of anything too spicy, but have always enjoyed Indian food - both on my visits to India, and at a couple of favourite restaurants in London. My go-to dish would be chicken curry.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer, whose novels and short stories include “Kane and Abel” and “Cat O' Nine Tales”, has topped the bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 275 million copies.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Asked if he would to rework on any particular book of his, he says, “Ten years ago I rewrote ‘Kane and Abel’, as it remains one of my bestselling and best loved books, even after 40 years. I didn’t change the story at all, but felt I had become a better craftsman, so could perhaps sharpen up some of the dialogue.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to him, he has never chased or expected awards.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I confess that receiving an award for doing something that you love is exciting and of course satisfying, remembering how hard you’ve worked on a book, but I’ve never chased or expected awards,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I was nevertheless, delighted to receive the International Recognition Award from the Irish Book Awards board, for having contributed substantially to the health and wealth of the Irish book-trade,” he adds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer’s novel, “Paths of Glory”, won the Prix Relay du Roman d’Evasion, a prize that rewards a novel in which readers can 'escape from everyday life', and “A Prisoner of Birth” won the Prix Polar International at Prix Cognac Awards for Best Thriller of the Year.</p>
<p class="title">Jeffrey Archer says his first love would always be writing but if reborn, he would want to be a bar-room singer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After writing, the celebrated British writer's preference has been cricket and politics. He closely follows cricket and was rooting for Somerset to win the County Championships for the first time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Having been an MP and now a member of the House of Lords for over 27 years, Archer is also passionate about following what's going on in politics, though he is no longer directly involved.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer, 79, has just come out with the first book of an eight-part series involving his new character William Warwick.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He regrets that he doesn’t have a good singing voice. But if he gets a chance to born again, he says, he would want to be a bar-room singer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I’ve always loved old style crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and would love to have had a good singing voice - but I don’t,” Archer told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another thing he loves to do is visit India and meet his fans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Indian cuisine, he says, “I am not a lover of anything too spicy, but have always enjoyed Indian food - both on my visits to India, and at a couple of favourite restaurants in London. My go-to dish would be chicken curry.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer, whose novels and short stories include “Kane and Abel” and “Cat O' Nine Tales”, has topped the bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 275 million copies.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Asked if he would to rework on any particular book of his, he says, “Ten years ago I rewrote ‘Kane and Abel’, as it remains one of my bestselling and best loved books, even after 40 years. I didn’t change the story at all, but felt I had become a better craftsman, so could perhaps sharpen up some of the dialogue.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to him, he has never chased or expected awards.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I confess that receiving an award for doing something that you love is exciting and of course satisfying, remembering how hard you’ve worked on a book, but I’ve never chased or expected awards,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I was nevertheless, delighted to receive the International Recognition Award from the Irish Book Awards board, for having contributed substantially to the health and wealth of the Irish book-trade,” he adds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Archer’s novel, “Paths of Glory”, won the Prix Relay du Roman d’Evasion, a prize that rewards a novel in which readers can 'escape from everyday life', and “A Prisoner of Birth” won the Prix Polar International at Prix Cognac Awards for Best Thriller of the Year.</p>